Ballal's reign
by El Destroyer
Summary: A starwars crossover fic. Set long after all canon characters have died out. reated M for wicked violence in later chapters
1. Chapter 1

The Republic royal troopers chased the young boy through the slums of the Planet city. They slowed down as he entered a building, and began to creep around corners. "y-know, I never sighed up for Fighting Sith!" One trooper said, over the static of the radio com link inside his helmet. "Aww, it's just a Kid." another trooper said. "what harm could he be?" This remark was a mistake. The troop officer smacked his head against the wall with his robotic arm. his original arm had been separated from him by a crimson lightsaber.

NEVER underestimate the Sith" He told his crew. "remember, Jedi knight Faust has given us direct orders to shoot to kill."

the thought_ 'But he's just a boy' _crossed over a few of their minds, but they knew better then to question their orders. the squad rounded the corner and came face to face with the teenage terrorist. He looked about sixteen, but his face was heavily tattooed, so it was hard to tell. "OPEN FIRE!!!" the squad leader yelled. They opened fire without hesitation, and a hail of blue plasma bolts rained down on the Sith boy. supreme chancellor Ballal had issued the blue energy weapons because he felt that they went well with the white and blue armor of his troopers. The boy ignited his red blade and spun in his hand to deflect the bolts back at his assailants Panting, he also raised his hand open palmed, to the troopers.

"GET DOWN!" the officer yelled, but he was too late, as the Boy had flung them all to the end of the hall. as they were trying to regain his position, The boy fled. he ran down the hall, rusting steal walls to either side of him. His panting breath was enhanced by the echo the hall produced. he ran into a large chamber with a low ceiling and full of scrap metal. The ceiling was mostly hidden by pipes bolted to it. there was another exit across the room, next to a jet engine. he heard the Troopers running down the hall, and he knew this was his only chance to stop them from perusing him. He had to block their entrance into the chamber. there was plenty of large pieces of scrap laying around, but he realized that he did not have the power to move them across the room.

Blue plasma whizzed past his head, and he panicked. he looked up and saw that the bolts holding the pipes in place were decaying with rust. He raised his hand and brought the pipes crashing down, blocking the entrance to the room and trapping one man underneath. the bow took a moment to turn of his lightsaber and lean over to breathe, putting both hands on his knees. when he regained his breath he went for the exit, but was assaulted by the horrible screech of metal grinding against metal. he clasped his hands to his ears and scrunched his eyes shut. when he opened his eyes again, he saw the Turbine engine sliding infront of the exit, kicking up a spray of sparks.

"No," he said in an alien language. when the turbine fully blocked his escape, a Kel Dor man leapt from one of the low hanging pipes and stood on top of the Turbine. the Sith Boy had not believe that he hadn't noticed the man sooner. He would have to work harder at his foresight skills, if he survived this encounter. the Kel Dor man was dressed in full black and had the usual mask to help him breath, but the mask and the creepy skin filled the sith with fear.

"I am Faust" the Kel dor said as he ignited his purple lightsaber. "and tonight, I will Take your life."

He flipped through the air, a purple ring around him. the humming purple ring slashed into the floor were the Sith had been standing a moment ago. Lightsaber in hand, the boy ran to the pipes that the troopers were trying to move. if he could flip over the pipes and leave the room, he might have a chance. he rather take on troopers then an insane Jedi. Faust was a blur, and a purple streak moved around the boy and blocked his path. With no time to react, the boy went flying as his legs were cut out from under him.

the boy crashed into the pile of junk and rolled off it, blood seeping from several cuts in his face. he looked up at the man standing over him, and the gleam in his eyes were more terrifying then his Master ever was. but he was able to turn his fear and pain into rage.

"Damn you, Jedi!" he yelled, and pulled a blaster from his belt.

"pitiful" Faust said as he flicked his saber and swatted away the red laser bolt. You sith have become Pitiful in the last twenty years. You are a Disease."

He raised his arm and turned his saber in his hand so that the blade was pointed down. and we, the Jedi, we are the cure."

"No-" but the boy barely made a syllable before Faust silenced him.

Ballal was looking out at his city from his flat, facing the glowing city. his city, were he to turn around, he would have seen the jedi temple in all it's glory. he looked out the window, but his own reflection looked back in. There was a beeping behind him, and he said "answer," out load. The ghostly image of Faust appeared hovering in midair on his desk. "my Master"

Ballal turned around. this floor of his home was just a circular room, and all of the walls were glass. there were brown and golden rugs, and the holographic Image of Faust loomed over the marbled desk. It is done." I have slain the Sith boy."

"Good." Ballal said. "I will not have any Sith scum here, in the heart of my kingdom."

"Soon, we will rid the entire galaxy of this Plague of Sith." Faust replied to the Chancellor. "And we will bring peace to the galaxy."


	2. Chapter 2

Myrrdin was knee deep in the swamp. rich green vegetation floated on the surface of the water, and Myrrdin was worried about what bloodsucking parasites might be hiding beneath. he took a breathe, and tried not to worry about parasites, or the fact that his leggings were soaked. He had to focus on the test his master had given him. there were spherical training droids orbiting him like planets around a star, ready to open fire at any sudden movement.

This challenge was made no easier by the thick brown clothe that was tied over his eyes. Morgan didn't tell him how many droids when had set up around him, but he was able to sense about a dozen of them. As slowly as possible, Myrrdin raised his arms over his hood and crossed them at the wrist. in both hands he held a metal cylindrical object. he pressed them together, causing the ends interlock. He twisted one of them, and there was a CLICK as his two weapons became one. The training droids too notice, and a hail of red gunfire rained down on Myrrdin.

Two glowing turquoise bars of light extended from the long device he held over his head, and he spun them. The glowing bars became rings of light as they spun around them. He spun the blue-green lights around him so fast that it became impossible to tell how many there were. The barrage of plasma bounced back at the droids. some spheres fell into the water, leaving a trail of sparks in their wake, while others simply burst into balls of flames. In a split second, the round machines went from circling the apprentice in the air to lying still at the bottom of the swamp.

The bars of light slid back into their hilt and Myrrdin took a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, his relief came too soon. As he pulled the blindfold off, a swamp beast lurched out of the water. It looked like a crocodile with twice as many limbs and several rows of teeth, but it was hard to say exactly what it looked like because it kicked up a spray of water as it pounced. Myrrdin flinched, and the beast froze in midair. Myrrdin noticed that all of the water droplets were also suspended in the air, and realized that he had overdone it. the drops of water fell back into the swamp like rain, and the large reptile began to flail about when it realized that it was suspended by an unseen force. Myrrdin sighed and blasted the creature away with The Force. the beast flew backwards, smacked against the water, and flipped through the air several times before coming to rest in the water.

Myrrdin sensed the animals fear, and felt it swim away. He trudged out of the water, wondering if the beast had been part of Morgan's test. using dangerous animals was a part of Morgan's general strategy, and it would have been a good idea to give him a surprise to keep him on his toes. He walked onto the muddy banks and climbed over the massive tree trunk. He looked back at the swamp, and suddenly all of the droids rose from the water into the air, water dripping from their metal shells. then they started to fly towards him. For a second, Myrrdin was surprised, and held his breathe. Then he sensed Morgan's familiar energy signature. The dead droids flew over him and he spun around to see his master, illuminated by a ray of golden light that shone through the trees.

she held a butterfly-like insect on her finger, it's four delicate wings glowed with a the colors imaginable. But to Myrrdin's eyes, Morgan was the only beauty in sight. Morgan frowned. She sensed her Padawan's feelings for her, even if he himself was unaware of them.

She gathered the junked robots into a pile on a floating dolly, and turned to Myrrdin. "well done." she said. "although you could have been more gentle with the Centecroc."

"I was about to break his spine against a tree." Myrrdin joked. he knew his master had an irrational fondness for insentient lifeforms. "was that beast part of the challenge, or did it just come about by chance?"

"What does it matter?" Morgan asked. "what happened happened, and although it was not part of my plan, The Centecroc still attacked you." She began to climb up the hill. "All of life is a test. every challenge you face, either a plan of your teachers or your enemies, or even those caused randomly by nature, is just a part of training. now, be a dear and take that cart of junk back to the temple. I don't like to see litter."


	3. Chapter 3

Feroc wasn't enjoying his situation. he was sitting at a table with two Jedi and three alien senators on the patio of a restaurant, a situation that many could only wish for. But Feroc was a soldier. He rather be in the heat of battle then have to entertain these fat tentacle faced politicians in a climate that could boil an egg on the hood of a speeder. Why couldn't they have gotten a seat inside? the heat aside, the potential for for an assassination to take place here was enormous. the ancient sun-bleached stone buildings were too close together, making the tightly packed throng of alien civilians even tighter. when they eventually left the restaurant, Feroc would have no way of pursuing a culprit through the sea of shifting faces if someone decided to his hand into the Senators credit pouch, or to slip a knife between one of the senator's ribs.

One of the Senators asked him a question in his horrible squishy voice, and Feroc gave him an absent minded response in his own Malandorian accent. Feroc ran his head over his smooth buzz-cut head and felt a disgusting amount of sweat. How could any planet orbit three suns? Of course he knew that it only orbited the yellow sun, while the two blue suns in the distance belonged to another system, but they were still close enough to affect the climate. Feroc wished he had some blaster armor on him, but he had to wear plain clothes for this undercover mission, as did the Jedi. Why didn't the Senators have to wear civilian attire? Camouflage would certainly protect them from assassins, but instead they chose to surround themselves with warriors while they wore colorful and and flashy robes. an assassin could spot them a mile away!

As it turns out, an assassin was keeping all three senators in his sights with his pair of cyber binoculars. the man had a black hood and cape that waved in the wind 60 feet above the crowds in the streets below. His armored hand gripped the edge of the tower while he held the binoks in the grip of his gauntlet. The assassin raised himself from his kneeling position and put the device into the satchel that hung at his hip. then he pulled a black metal cylinder out from the satchel and clipped it to his belt. Then, without hesitation, he leapt from the fatal height and fell towards the pavement. The air rushed past him, Turning his cloak into a shadowy blur and lifting off his hood. He had long smooth hair, black as night, and black tattoos had been etched into his red skin. The assasin landed hard on the stone titles, spreading a web of cracks into the stone and sending debris into the air. The force of the impact put his hood back into place. He bent his knees and put one hand to the ground when he landed, his other arm going behind his back. his paldrons and chestplate armor rattled loudly when he landed, but otherwise he had no inconveniences. The assassin stood and bent his neck to the left, emitting a cracking sound. There were people who had noticed his impossible survival, but he was successfully able to disappear into the crowd just the same.

The waiter was refilling their drinks, and Feroc glared at him. Feroc wasn't eating, and hee only drank from a flask he kept in his Jacket. It would be all too easy to poison the food. He listed the waiter as a possible Assassin, but he noticed that the two Jedi weren't at all interested in him, or anything else besides the conversation they were having with with the senators. The Jedi seamed more like Rich burocrats then bodyguards, how could they be warriors?

Senator Zoidburn was a particularly disgusting creature. He was humanoid, except for the Tentacles that took up the bottom half of his face. Ziodburn was leaning over, his face submerged in his bowl of plankton Soup, His red bald head reflecting the light of the three suns. Then he lifted his head, green slop dripping from his repulsive maw.

"If you'll excuse me," His tentacles whipped around to mimmick human speech, "I need to used the little squid's room."


	4. Chapter 4

The assassin found his way into the restaurant easily enough. there were no guards at any of the exits, so he slipped in through the shipping entrance unnoticed. he treaded across the expensive carpet without making a sound, and he masked his presence from the sense of the Jedi. Senator Zoidburn entered the waste-room and impatiently ran to one of the cylindrical was stalls on the right. The blue plastic door slide up into the ceiling, the senator stepped in and sat down, and the blue plastic slid back down to give him some privacy. The hooded man stepped into the room, the electric light casting a blue glow off his paldrons. Sinks and mirrors the the left, blue waste stalls to the right. he didn't have to search for the Senator's mind to know which stall he was in. the grunts and breaking wind were enough to give away his position.

The assassin unclipped the black metal device from his belt and pressed a button on it. a glowing red bar extended forth from the hilt with a crack and a hiss, then began to hum. Zoidburn heard the humming of the weapon and looked up in tike to see the glowing bar pierce the plastic like a laser beam, sending up a shower of sparks into Zoidburn's delicate face. Zoidburn closed his eyes as the sparks rained down, then opened them to se that the beam had stabbed into his heart.

Jedi master Parvatti shuddered violently mid-sentence. His padawan looked up at him, confused. then he stared blankly into the air, as if searching for something. after a moment, fear rose in him as the blood drained from his face.

"What is it?" the Neimoidian senator asked, his bulging golden eyes swelling with fear. Feroc noticed the sudden seriousness, and sat up alert.

"Senator Zoidburn's mind has just been extinguished." Parvatti said. "he is dead."

The Sith assassin considered releasing his shadow cloaking technique, since the Jedi probably already knew that the senator was dead. The cloaking technique was a strain on his mind and energy, but he kept it up. The Jedi knew they were being hunted, but they didn't know who the hunter was.

The Party of Senators and bodyguards made their way through the crowded streets quickly. The two alien politicians were sandwiched between Parvatti and his apprentice, with Feroc bringing up the rear. Zoidburn had died inside the building, so it was Feroc's job to put himself between the killer and the remaining targets. The Jedi on either side were emitting a telekinetic Force Field that pushed civilians out of the way, causing some of them to fall over, but there was no one to scout the area ahead. They only had to make it back to the plaza and board the shuttle, but what if they walked into an an ambush?

The Neimoidian suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. Feroc grabbed his shoulder as the two Jedi and the Mon calamari senator looked back at him. " Senator Sarutobi, we have to GO!!"

but his mouth only quivered, and his huge eyes seamed to bulge outwards even more, as if they were about to explode. Feroc let go of him as he realized that the Neimodian wasn't even touching the ground. His feet hovered an inch above the dusty tiles. Bloody tears dripped down from his face, and he suddenly uttered a soul shattering scream before his head was yanked back by an unseen force. the Alien's neck snapped, and he fell to the pavement in a crumpled heap.

Feroc looked back and saw the hooded man. All he asaw was the black hood and the waving cape. the figure was nothing but a black silhouette, except for the pauldron that glistened in the sunlight. Feroc raised his blaster to the Assasin, and the man raised his own hand, only it was empty. Feroc was suddenly thrown back, as if a sonic grenade had went off at his feet. He flew through into a primitive wooden kiosk, the wood shattering under his weight as he was buried under the grains that poured out of broken barrel.

"Ezio, Take the Senator to the Plaza, NOW!!" Parvatti said to his Padawan, and human and the fish man fled. Parvatti shrugged off his dusty civilian cloak to reveal his Jedi robes, and the Sith pulled a draw sting, causing his cape and hood to crumple to the dirt. Parvatti ignited his lightsaber, glowing and humming like a blue neon bar. the Sith assassin drew his own weapon, a glowing red blade of Death.

Feroc rose from the Rubble to see the Two in their fighting stances. He had seen reenacted Jedi/Sith fights on the Holonet, they were always drawn out and had lots of acrobatics. But in real life, fights like this were usually quick and precise. The Sith charged at Master Parvatti, bringing his blade down then slicing upwards. Parvatti parried the blow, both lightsabers rising over both their heads with a burst of Yellow sparks. Then the Sith stepped past the Jedi and brought the 'saber down into his back. The red blade of death impaled Parvatti through the chest before sliding back into the hilt.

The Sith seamed to take no notice of his latest kill and continued to chase his remaining target as Parvatti hit the dust.


	5. Chapter 5

The troopers stood just within the plaza's outer walls, waiting for the senators to Return. the Plaza was a republican embassy, so the troopers were in full battle gear. They were coverd in the white and blue armor from head to toe, and they had a heavy arsenal of weaponry clipped to their thighs and slung over their backs. The plaza was a wide cylindrical building, with only three floors. Within the gate that surrounded the grounds of the building, there was a garden full of lushes green plants that seamed alien in the harsh climate. There was a magno-lift that would carry the senators to the shuttle on the roof, and it was only twenty feet away from the gate. The guards stood anxiously, waiting to see if they're employers would make it to the Plaza, ready to shoot at the assassin at a second's notice.

"Why are there Assassins after these Senators?" One guard asked from under his helmet.

Another Trooper scoffed. "don't you keep up with the current events in the Senate, Or have you been living under a rock? The Neimoidian Viceroy has been speaking out against the Sith for years. He blames them for all their problems, from the economy to their prosecution."

"What do you mean?" the rookie asked.

"Uuggh. didn't you take history class at the academy?" the veteran continued." It was the Sith that pressured the Neimoidians into the Clone Wars in the first place, along with the rest of the Separatists. After that, they were prosecuted at the hands of the Empire, who wanted to put humans at the top of the scale. basically, They are a major threat to The Empire, because they can't take worlds peacefully with the viceroy spreading propaganda about them."

"Okay, so the assassins are just here to take out Sarutobi, and the others will be fine?"

"I don't think so." the elder soldier said. "you see, there's been a recent crackdown on the illegal trafficking of Arius on Mon calamari, so the Sith may be able to take down tow birds with one stone. besides, the report that came back said that there was only one Assassin."

But surly they know about the Jedi's protection?" the rookie asked.

The veteran grinded his teeth under his helmet." Jedi Ezio says that the assassin is a Sith warrior himself, and has already killed everyone except himself and The Calamari Senator."

The rookie was at a loss for words, which was good because someone shouted "HEADS UP! ALLIES APPROACHING!" The call to action snapped everyone into focus, and the rookie was forced to let his training take over. They all drew rifles and the gates opened to let Ezio and The fish faced Senator through.

As soon as they were within the walls of the Plaza, The Calamari Senator heaved wheezed, then sat down on the bench amongst the flowers. Senator Nemo, we have to get to the Shuttle." Ezio said. "it is just right through this garden.

"N-no, I c-cant..." He was out of breath from all that running.

"Please, the sith could come for us why you sit here." the padawan tried to convince him.

"No, we are safe here." He said, Gestureing to all the guards and bush sculptures. "please, give me a glass of water, will you? I am having a hard time breathing this planet's air as it is...."

Ezio opened his mouth to argue, but he was interupted when a trooper shouted "STOP WERE YOU ARE!"

Ezio spun around to see the man who had killed his master, surrounded by the white armored guards. There were about a dozen guns drawn on his was covered in spiky rust red armor. His eyes glowed a sickly yellow, like the venom from a kzar-snake. There was a terrible silence for a minute, until Ezio realized that they were not doing anything to defeat The assassin.

"FIRE, YOU FOOLS!" he shouted. blue energy bolts blazed at the Sith, but they were reflected back in every direction by the blurs of red plasma that circled the Sith's body. Many shots were deflected back at the troopers, and half of them fell, but they stood their ground. He stepped forward, the blood red blade still spinning around him. it cut into them with vicious efficiency.

Ezio and Senator Nemo were already at the Magno lift door, waiting for it to open. The assassin seamed to fly through the air as he pounced at them. quickly, without thinking, Ezio held his saber backhandedly and turned it on. The bar of blue light spread out along his forearm past his Elbow, just in time to block the blow of The Sith's red Saber. White sparks erupted from the point of contact. Senator Nemo screamed, but Ezio ignored him.

The Sith brought the blade back and slashed from a different angle. Ezio blocked it. He would not this man live. for this moment, the Senator, the mission, the national fear, it didn't matter. Ezio wasn't even thinking about the timeless feud of the Jedi and Sith as he traded blows wit this man. all he cared about was that the man had killed his master, and would die beofre he failed to return the favor.

The Dark side was taking over Ezio's mind as he fought, but he wouldn't have cared if he had been aware of it.

"I can see your anger." the sith said. "it is written all over your face. I can also feel the power it gives you."

The man's red and black face twisted into a horrid grin as he slashed downward, ripping open Ezio's knee. "But in order to wield that anger, you must have skill."

Ezio toppled over, and the sith raised his blade to deal the death blow. Just then, the magno-Lift door opened and Nemo practically fell in. The sith raised his hand to bring the Target out of the elevator. Nemo was raised into the air by the force, and he thought that death was upon him at that moment, but the Sith's back exploded.

He fell to his knees while Nemo fell to the hard steel floor, and the doors slid shut. The sith twisted his neck back to see Feroc staning there, He blaster drawn at him.

"What, Didja think? that throwing me into a pile o' crates was gonna take me outta the game for good?" Feroc grinned, smoke drifting from the barrel of his gun.

"Perhaps I underestimated you, Malandorian." The Sith's eyes glowed bight orange, and Feroc's gun exploded into a ball of fire, taking half of Feroc's hand with it.

"Dammit!" feroc swore as he clutched his burnt hand. Ezio got up and swiped at The assassin with his Lightsaber. The sith Ducked and shot a lighting bolt at him from his fingers. Ezio was thrown back, and his lightsaber flew into the Sith's hands.

Ezio found himself lying on the ground with his own blade at his throat. All circumstances aside, he didn't want this Sith to get so cocky as he died. "you can kill me, you scoundrel, but You have lost your target. Senator Nemo will live to see another, day, and you will probably be tortured by your sadistic masters for your failure."

"Not quite, Jedi Youngling. There are others who will assist me." He said as he looked at the glass tube that was carrying the fish man to the shuttle.

" And when you wake up amongst the others Jedi ghosts who make up the fabric of the force..." He said as he pressed the blade to the side of Ezio's neck." Tell them that Darth Ragnarok sent you to them. You will surely meet others who have befallen the same fate."

A quick slash and Ezio's life was over. His head rolled to Ragnarok's metal boot, and he rested his boot on it.

Senator Nemo was fidgeting uncontrollably as he rode the elevator to the shuttle. They were sending people after him, powerful people, to end his life. Was it because of the Arius? It had been Nemo's idea to prevent the Arius corral from leaving the planet. He had even put in plans to exterminated the Arius species, but the policy hadn't been passed on the grounds that it would unstabalize the ecosystem. Arius was too dangerous. It could convert Jedi to Sith, and overdoses led to Madness.

The Mango lift doors slid open to reveal a young woman who looked to be in her mid twenties. She wore a black leather coat and black leather pants, shich matched her black hair nicely. her skin was pale, and she was wearing black leather gloves on her hands, one of which was pointing a blaster pistol to his head. His bubbly black eyes crossed to look at the blaster.

"It's a trap." She said in an innocent yet emotionless voice, as if she were not about to take a man's life." you fool." then she pulled the trigger. Senator Nemo's big black eyes when flying if different directions, and the bloodstains that she put in his Senator's gown would never come out.


	6. Chapter 6

_The Jedi swiped at him with his Lightsaber, but he ducked and shot a lighting bolt at him from his Jedi was thrown back, and his lightsaber flew into his hands._

_He ignited the blue blade and put it to the young jedi's throat, noticing the lock of hair that indicated that he was nothing more then a Padawan. But the Padawan did not let fear cloud his vision. "you can kill me, you scoundrel, but You have lost your target. Senator Nemo will live to see another, day, and you will probably be tortured by your sadistic masters for your failure." _

_"Not quite, Jedi Youngling. There are others who will assist me." He said as he looked at the glass tube that was carrying the fish man to the shuttle. _

_" And when you wake up amongst the others Jedi ghosts who make up the fabric of the force..." He said as he pressed the blade to the side of the youngling's neck." Tell them that Myrrdin Niniane sent you to them. You will surely meet others who have befallen the same fate."_

Myrrdin sat bolt upright in his bed. He was panting, and his skin glistened with sweat. moonlight shone in through the circular window, illuminating him in an eerie glow. He looked at his left arm, which was bright red. It had been red since his birth, but it was burning. He rolled his red hand into a fist in reaction to the pain. Myrrdin had never known either of his parents, but Master Odin had said that his mother brought him to The Istari Temple when he was born, which was unusual. He was the youngest Istari Jedi, because the republican Jedi reaped the galaxy to find younglings that they could train to be Jedi, and all other Istari had converted from the Republic after becoming fully fledged Jedi. This meant that Myrrdin was the only Padawan on Yavin.

Myrrdin tried to lie back down, but all he could think of was the image of his arm, fully covered in rust red armor, weilding a blood red 'saber, and Killing that Jedi. Why would he have such a dream? was he seeing the future?

Meanwhile, On Coruscant....

Ballal Solo sat in the Jedi council room, atop the highest tower in the Jedi Temple. He sat on the biggest chair, the chair he called his "Throne" While the Rest of the Jedi Council members sat faceing him. Ballal had hand picked each of the Council members himself, because, unlike the Senate, he could not control their minds.

The Republic liked to believe that they were Democratic, they liked to believe that they were in control. Ballal let them believe their delusions all they wanted. But in reality, **he** was in control. the congress meetings never went in a direction that he didn't want it to, even if sometimes he pretended it did in order to kill suspicions. It was all a matter of tweaking the minds of of the senators to make his words seam more admirable. He didn't even have to do the mind trick to every single person; he really only needed the magority of the votes.

The senate were his puppets, and the entire galaxy was the group of children that thought the puppets were real.

"Ahem, Master Ballal." Jedi Master Caradoc said after clearing his throat.

"Ah yes, where were we?" Ballal snapped back to attention.

"We were discussing the loss of Republic worlds to The Empire." Elyan Agravaine said in a sharp tone.

Faust glared at Elyan, but Ballal answered is question." Yes. It seams that they have ignored our peace treaty time and time again. tell me, Pellas, is the Order prepared for War?"

"Well, there has been a rise in resentment towards the Sith after the Keisharthian Sith attacked us two years ago..." Lamorac Pelleas replied. "so Our warriors wont care if their killing imperial Sith either way..."

"Wait, we can't just go running head first into war like this!" Elyan interjected. Now it was Ballal's turn to glare at the man. For all the power he had, the Jedi had still voted Elyan to this position, against Ballal's will. Sometimes He had to remember that the Jedi were not his puppets like the Senate were.

"The Dark empire has been taking Territory, yes, but not by violent means or any other means that violates the peace treaty." Elyan continued. "They've appealed to the worlds we've ignored, and promised them that their industries would profit under the Empire's fascist reign."

"What are you getting at, Master Agravaine?" Ballal asked.

"I'm saying that, in order to make sure we don't lose anymore colonies to the Dark Empire, we need to make sure that no one is going to want to join them." Elyan said. "We have to appeal to these worlds that are on the blink of recession, ame them believe in us. The only reason they turn to the Empire is because we have abbandoned them."

Damn. Agravaine had used the Empire to get the others to believe that charity to the poorest of worlds would starve of the Empire. it was all a ruse to get them to be divert the power to help the unseen worlds. Ballal knew better. The only way to kill of the Empire was with a lightsaber through the Emperor's heart. But Ballal had to admit, Jedi Master Elyan Agravaine would have made a great politican.

"That is true, Agravaine." Ballal said with a smile." I will see that we do such things at the Next meeting of Congress."

Elyan knew that he wouldn't, and It caused Ballal joy to see him realize that. But Elyan's eyes sharpened again.

"And, what exactly gives you the Right to decide with we help our unemployable nations or lead us to war?" the other council Members looked surprised by Elayn's words. Faust's face twisted with rage, but he kept silent. "your birth right? The Skywalker blood that supposedly flows through you? "

Ballal laughed, but there was fear at the back of his mind. Elyan Agravaine had gone from an annoyance to a threat to his reign. "I am the Chosen one. The prophecy was written before I was born, and there was no way I could have known about it because the Prophecy was kept secret from all but the Council."

Yes, and you made it public knowledge to boost you own Image. Elyan thought to himself, but all he said was. "the prophecy has not been completed yet."

"What did you say?" Ballal whispered, his eyes daggers.

"The prophecy says that the Chosen one, who shall tilt the ballance of power to the light so much that it eradicates the Darkness once and for all time..." Jedi Council Member Griflet Gawaine joined in on Elayn's side. "shall have the Blood of a Skywalker-"

"Who has more Skywalker blood then I? "Ballal interupted the Prophecy, but Gawaine continued. "- and shall pull the first sword from the bedrock of The Sacred Ring."

There was silence. Ballal's eyes were masked by his hair, which had suddenly fallen over his face when he tilted his head forward at the mention of the Ring. The bottom half of Ballal's face was devoid of emotion, it was impossible to read him now.

Then he raised his head and smiled. "That is a myth. There are no Ringworlds."

"What are you saying, Ballal?" Griflet asked. "that is the prophecy. Your Prophecy."

Yes, if There are no Ringworlds, then you are not the Chosen one." Elayn was grinning. "you can't pick and Choose the parts of the prophecy."

Either all of the Prophecy is true, or all of the Prophecy is false." Caradoc said.

Ballal looked down again.

"you fools!" Faust exclaimed. "you have lost faith in our leader. of course he is the Chosen One. Only he can save us from the Darkness!"

"You are Correct, Faust," Ballal said as he stood up. "but how can I hope to crush the Sith if I do not find the Sword and the Ring first?"

Elayn's smile fell.

Ballal looked out the Window, towards the Stars. "I will provide massive funding to exploration teams to find The Legendary Ringworld, and then we will tip the Ballance and bring Eternal safety to the Galaxy!"


	7. Chapter 7

Myrrdin walked into the Pyramid shaped temple. The large doorway soared twenty feet above his head, and the path to the temple was lined with even taller statues of deceased Istari warriors who had given their lives for the greater good. The Temple was cool inside compared to the humid jungle, even though there was no cooling vents or air conditioning units. The main room floor was made of stone tiles, and covered in brown robed Jedi monks. they were all meditating,, facing towards the centre of the temple, were a huge stone pillar rose thirty feet up from the floor to the high ceiling. The pillar had been cut out of stone on Dantooine, and it was covered in blue and green crystals.

Myrrdin knelt down and closed his eyes, trying to get in sync with the Force. There were ghosts in the temple, Myrrdin was aware of them, but that was all he could tell. The ghosts would not reveal themselves to him, they were communicating with other Jedi monks. Morgan had told him that it would be another seven years before he would be able to call out to the Jedi for another three years, but he was probably sensitive enough that Jedi Ghost could speak to him already. There were also Jedi that were trying to Meditate as a form of discipline, or to see the future. Some Jedi believed that they could become aware of all things at once of they meditated hard enough. they referred to this awareness as "the ultimate reality". Myrrdin was trying to find something in particular. He was trying to locate Jedi master Odin, the leader of the Istari.

an image came to Myrrdin in his mind's eye. he was seeing a map of the general area around the temple, and the map was dotted with blue stars. the stars were actually the souls or energy of the people going about their business, andmost of them were gathered at and around the temple. he was looking for a specific energy signature, though....

Suddenly, Myrrdin felt a hand on his shoulder. he jumped and looked up into the Morgan, who was grinning.

"Aah, you should have seen your face!" She gigled. Myrrdin felt his face turn red in embarassment. Someone shushed Morgan, and she said "C'mon, let's get outta here."

As they left the temple, Myrrdin turned to Morgan and said "So, I was looking for Odin in there, and I think he's at his home."

"Why are you looking for him?" she asked.

"I had a bad dream last night." Myrrdin admitted. "I think it might have been a vision of some kind."_ A vision that I saw through the eyes of a Sith._ He would have added on, but he didn't want to say that out loud.

"Okay, well, lets go then!" she replied.

Meanwhile, on the night side of the Planet Dac in the calamari system, There was a woman walking into a dark ally in the floating city of Rapture. he was confronted by two burly Quarren men. The squid faced thugs looked like they had been taking genetic modifying treatments to increase their muscle sizes, and now their bodies barley looked humanoid. The much smaller woman looked at them and said. "let me pass, I have business with Coloron." in the local language

"Coloron don't work around these parts no more, lady." the Left Quarren was bad at grammar in his own language. "he got popped a while ago."

"well then," she said, flashing him a smile. "Take me to your new boss, see if I can make any deals with him."

They led her through the backdoor of a kitchen (which smelled awful) and into a freezer room. One squid man waited with her while the other moved a shelf out of the way to reveal a door with a coded lock. He typed in the code and the door slid open. They walked down a flight of poorly lit stairs and came to a door with two more hulk-ish squid men who had their arms crossed. "the Boss man is in here." One of them said to her as they opened the door.

When she entered the room, she was assaulted by the stench of narcotic smoke. the room was lit by three fire lamps behind a massive green mound of slime, and their were several armed men of various alien races armed with blaster rifles. She suddenly realized that the mountain of slime was alive.

"Alchapon the Hutt, I take it that you've taken over Coloron's operation?" The woman in black leather said with a wink as she pulled her jet black hair behind her ear.

The Hutt laughed, sending ripples through his fat. "I have taken over his operation, as well as his men-" Alchapon gestured to the various body guards surrounding him. " and his inventory."

"Oh, well, you see..." the woman in black put her hands behind her back and walked around the room. "... Coloron and I had a special deal. I did some various jobs for him, and He owes me all of the Arrius he has collected so far. I'm gonna make a special shipment tonight, and I'll be gone for another two months."

The slug laughed again, and said " I think not, Lady Lilithiam. The Arrius is mine now, since Coloron has met his fate with the hydra-sharks down below. Whatever deal you made with him no longer matters. you will have to pay me for the coral, and there is absolutly no way you are walking away with all of it tonight. Riddick, pat her down."

A bald human man came up to Lilithiam with a grin on his face. he was wearing a black tank top and black tinted goggles. He bent and pressed his hands to her thighs, feeling for a weapon, but she noticed that he spent a little too long feeling her backside. He stood up and was about to press his hands to her chest when she stood back and pulled her arms free of her leather jacket. "yeah, I don't think so." she said as she handed it to him. He looked through it and said "she's clean."

"No weapon? I'm insulted." The Hutt laughed and took a drag from his smoke tube.

"Listen, Alchapon, there are only two things I'm sure of at this moment. First of all, I'm leaving this planet in thirty minutes, or else the ship will leave me behind. And second, the Arrius is coming with me, no matter what happens here." Lilithiam said as she crossed her arms.

The Hutt did not laugh at this. "What, you think you can just take it from me? Should have brought a gun in here, girl. Then you might have actually had a chance against my men."

Lilithiam laughed, only making the Hutt angrier. "You think these thugs are yours?"

"Why, of course." Alchapon raised his meaty hand and the huge men reaised their weapons to the woman. "they certainly aren't Coloron's. They each assisted me in killing him."

"I never said that they were Colorone's men" Lilithiam said as her eyes glowed red. _"they're MY men."_

The thugs turned and pointed their weapons at their former new boss. "what deception is this?" he hollered.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Darth Lilithiam said with a smile. then her smile disappeared as she said. "Fire."

orange thermal beams burnt holes through the disgusting creature, and when it was done, all that was left of Alchapon the Hutt was the Rancid smell of burnt lard.

"Alright, now then lets clear out the inventory shall we?" Lilithiam said while her eyes still glowed red. The mindless men brought cases upon cases of a light green dust out from the back room, and it made Lilithiam smile.

Half an hour Later, Darth Lithiam was in orbit around the planet, her ship fully stocked. The face of Ozzik Olorin, the Imperial High command Admiral, appeared in the holo-screen.

"I got the loot, Admiral." Darth Lilithiam said with a grin.

He sighed and put his hand to his brow. :"Please, do not use that smuggler slang with me, Darth Lilithiam."

"Sorry, Ozzy. Tell Darth Destro that I have his magic coral and I'll be their in about a day." She responded as she typed in the coordinates for Byss,

"Understood. Admiral Ozzik Olorin Out." The Admiral said as his face fizzed out. Lilithiam's ship suddenly warped into hyper drive, and was gone in a flash.


	8. Chapter 8

"So, you've been having visions?" Odin asked.

Odin was a stout man. He was wide and muscular, yet short and old. Long silver hair fell down from his helm and mingled with his silver beard. His most prominent feature was the scar that went from his right brow to his right cheek, and the lack of his right eye. Myrrdin didn't like to look at at Odin's eye, but thankfully he couldn't see his face. They were sitting in Odin's home, and the light from the window cast a beam of light like a spot light across Odin's back. All that Myrrdin could see was the stout man's black silhouette.

"Yes, I believe so...." Myrrdin replied from his recliner.

"And the way you described your visions.... very unusual...." Odin put his head in his hand. "they seam to be from the viewpoint of a sith."

"yes, well, I guess that that was the best way for the force to show me what will happen." Myrrdin tried to keep his voice from wavering. He didn't want to believe that the vision had been of his won future, but the fear kept slithering it's way back into his mind like a persistent leach.

"Hmm. I sense a great amount of fear in you, my boy." Odin said as he tilted his head to the side. "You should tell me what is wrong, Myrrdin."

"W-well, you see, I fear that this vision may be of the future. _My_ future." He replied anxiously.

Odin chuckled at this. "Do not worry, my boy. that is impossible."

"What do you mean?" Myrrdin asked, a sudden curiosity in his eyes.

"I mean that it cannot be the future, because it is the past." Odin said with an unseen smile. "In your vision, you saw two human Republican Jedi and three non-human Senators, correct?"

"Yes...."

"well, on the spaceport of Catacrom four, The Decapodian Senator was murdered, and then the Neimoidian Senator and the Calamari Senator were killed soon after. They were being protected by Two Jedi, Parvatti and his Padawan Ezio, who were killed in the crossfire." Odin told him. "I got the report in my mail a few hours ago. The only survivor. a malandorian Mercinary, claims that The assassin was a Sith. he was red skinned and had tatoos, so We can assume that he was a Keisharthi Sith "

Myrrdin looked down as relief washed over him. It was a while before he looked up again.

"I see, but why would I have a vision of that at all if it already happened?" the boy asked. "Why would the Force have me view it if I could not prevent their deaths?"

"I do not know." Odin replied. "the force works in mysterious ways. perhaps you the Force revealed something to you that no one else saw, and you simply did not realize it. Perhaps it was irrelevant. We cannot control what visions we see, otherwise we would see everything at once, and know everything at once."

"But isn't that what We, the Istari are trying to achieve?" Myrrdin asked. "Aren't we trying to meditate until we reach the state of enlightenment were we see all and know all?"

"Some of us are." Odin admitted. "some of us are trying to see the universe in all it's detail, while the rest of us are trying to save it from the darkness, which, by the way, is darker then it has been in the last thousand years."

Myrrdin frowned at this, but he continued. "So, then, there is nothing I can do to save those senators, but do you think that there may be any reason that I received that vision?"

"Well, this is a unique case." Odin replied._ "You_ are unique yourself, what with your arm, and your status as the youngest Istari. right now, there is a controversy over why the senators died. The Neimiodians had made themselves an enemy of the Sith due to their oppression, and The Mon Calamri were an enemy of the Dark Empire since they started to deny them Arius. But The Decapodians are innocent. Some theorize that Zoidbun's death was an accident; that, like the Jedi, he was caught in the crossfire. But Ziodburn was the first to die, when he was isolated from everyone else. The Assassin would not have diverted to kill Zoidburn unless he was a target, because the Assassin himself was force sensitive, and thus, would know that killing The Senator would blow his cover and take away the element of surprise. What troubles me the most, however, is the fact that the Holonet press refuse to look into this. Decapod Ten is a nation that gives the Sith no grievances. In fact, they seam to be giving Chairman Ballal grievances, because they are refusing to mine for Imulsion, a resource that is very valuable to the republic, yet mining it does serious damage to the ecosystem...."

"Master Odin, you're trailing off from the main focus." Myrrdin interjected. I thought that the Assassin was a Keisharthi Sith. Why would they assist the Empire after the battle of Keeshin? The entire world was lost to madness less then a decade ago, so why would they help each other now?"

"Yes, that is another predicament." Odin said. "but don't worry too much about that. I have a mission for you and Morgan."

Odin took a holophone and showed Myrrdin a picture of a Republican Star Destroyer. " Ballal has announced that he will be sending a fleet on a galaxy wide mission to comb the galaxy for some Holy Artifact. The mission is simply another over the top project that he uses to boost his own ego, but his time he may actually be stepping the line. He is sending certian Ships to a neutral region in the Outer rim. Both Keisharthi Sith and the Empire have been vying for this space, and I fear that the introduction of Republican ships to this hotzone may invoke a couple of skirmishes, which may grow into a full scale Galactic War."

"I see, but what exactly can Morgan and I do in that situation, though?" Myrrdin asked.

"I will brief Morgan on the mission myself, but I can tell you that I want you to look out for my old friend Elyan Agravaine." Odin told him. "He is a reasonable man, unilke Ballal and half the men on his council. He has been assigned to go out towards the warzone region in Search for the artifact. Shadow Elayn, watch his back. There will be enemies of his on both sides. Understood?"

"Yes, Master Odin. I understand." Myrrdin said before bowing and standing up to leave.

"Oh, and before I forget, Myrrdin...."

Myrrdin turned around.

"I want you to know that it's not heritage or bloodlines that make a man. A man's heart is defined by the actions he does, not by were he comes from."

"Thank you Master Odin, but I don't think I have to worry about that." the young man replied over his shoulder. "After all, I came from nowhere."


	9. Chapter 9

Ozzik Olorin dusted his desk furiously. Everything was arranged in perfect symmetry. he had two lamps facing eachother, and two switchboards at the edge of his desk. there were racks on either wall, both exactly alike. The entire room was symmetrical, and everything in it was either black or a shade of dark grey. Everything was either black glass or metal. Ozzik polished his lamp until he could see himself in the black had a very sharp face; sharp nose, a sharp jaw line, but what was sharpest was his left eye. His right eye was missing, and there was a monocle shaped cybernetic eye in the place of his right eye. His frantic cleaning was due to two factors. First he was obsessive compulsive. Second, The chaos was coming. The Chaos was Olorin's name for the two Sith lords that who worked under the Emperor.

Ozzik loved the Empire for it's order, as well s the power it gave him. He loves the power to control people, whether it's out of respect or out of fear, and he will never give that up. he sees threats to the Empire as a direct threat to his Role as Admiral, since he knows that he would be nothing without the Empire and the people that he treads on. He despised the two Sith Lords because they were the only ones who had power over him, Except for the Emperor himself. They also upset the powerful order of the Empire. The Empire was composed of ranks, a pyramid of roles with one with one Emporor at the top, and countless Stormtroopers at the base. There were also specific roles assigned to people, such as soldiers, leaders, engineers, and scientists, but the Sith Lords decided to be all those things at once.

Darth Destro, in particular, took a special interest in Engineering and bionic experiments. He saw his role as a leader of the Star fleet to be his work, while experimenting on soldiers and prisoners was his hobby and pastime. Darth Haedra also stepped out of rank to kill enemies, sometimes with his bare hands. Ozzik believed that it was not a commander's place to run into the heat of battle and take up the position of a soldier, But Darth Haedradid it all the time. He had once admitted that he only felt alive in the Heat of battle. Darth Lithiam was not a Sith Lord like Destro or Haedra, but she was still above the law, and could do anything to anyone as she pleased. She often acted as a spy for the Empire. To Ozzik, the Three Sith under the Emperor were like buildup residue clogging up an exhaust pipe, and they would eventually cause the downfall of the perfect Engine that was the Dark Empire.

Suddenly, there was a whooshing noise as his office door slid open to reveal Darth Haedra and Darth Destro standing in his doorway. Haedra was tall and imposing, standing at almost seven feet tall. He had a long black cloak that was covering everything except his bald head and armored gauntlets. His skin was nothing but wrenched white scars. He had been burned in an exploding Ship, and He no longer had any hair on his entire body, not even eyebrows or eyelashes. His eyes were a shade of venomous yellow, and he wore a permanent scowl.

Darth Destro's skin was also pale, but it was not the Ivory white that Haedra's burnt skin was. He had a metal mask hat covered the bottom half of his face, preventing his mouth and nose from being seen. two rubber tubes extended from his metal mask and went over his shoulders. There was the sound of his automotive breathing, like the sound of air being forced through a tin can, that irritated him to no end. Both of his arms were cybernetic, for unknown reasons, and most of his body was covered in mechanical armor. Destro had long straight black hair that hung over one eye, but the other eye was grey as death.

"Admiral Olorin. " Darth Haedra said in his unnaturally deep voice. "we will need your assistance on the Bridge."

"Come walk with us." Darth Destro said. his mouth wasn't visible, but his eyes seamed to give away his grin.

Olorin left his office and the door locked automatically. they walked down the stainless steal hallways of the Blackstar, One of the Mammoth Star Destroyers that belonged to the Empire.

"So, Lilithiam has completed her mission, I hear." Ozzik said while airing out his collar.

"Yes." Haedra said. "she completed her assasination of the Calamari senator and collect the latest harvest of Arrius."

"Ah, excellent. Now I can continue my research" .Destro exclaimed.

Ozzik cringed at the thought of Destro's experiments, but Haedra continued. "she says that she was able to contact a Keisharthi Sith who had a similar mission, so she had him heard her target to her while he killed his own targets." Haedra's frown deepened. "I don't approve of Working with those uncivilized scum, what with what they did to Planet Keeshin, but she was able to cover up the event and make sure that no one suspected the Empire's involvement."

"That reminds me, Olorin, Since I'll have access to more Arrius, I'm going to need access to more _volunteers_ for my experiments." There was a smile in Destro's voice as he said it.

Ozzik Olorin eyes lit up with fear from the last experiment. "don't you remember the last time I rounded up soldiers willing to partake in your experiments? Your cyborg chips turned them into mindless abominations!"

"Yes, but that was the point. Once they stopped screaming, they were incapable of feeling pain or individual thought. They were unable to disobey direct orders, and pain did not stop them from carrying out their missions." Destro responded.

"And what about your Jedi blood transfusions? the ones that were supposed to be able to turn commoners into powerful Force Users?" Olorin continued. Their bodies rejected the midiclorians and they all died!"

"There are always casualties in the pursuit of science. " Destro said nonchalantly. He guided them into one of his detention chambers and led them to a control room. there was a window that showed them the fruit of Destro's labors. Olorin cringed in horror.

Behind the two way mirror was a horrendous creature that might have been a shaven wookie. It was unconscious, yet it floated five feet in the air, and various pieces of machinery were spinning around it like at tornado as lightning shot out from the wookie's body. Them machinery had been ripped out of the walls, and it was only a matter of time before the cell was completely eroded away by the creature's power.

Olorin stood transfixed my the horror of the test subject and it's power, yet Haedra did not seam moved at all.

"Oh dear." Destro said. "it seams that our little friend has outgrown his cell."

Destro opened a hatch in the control panel to uncover a red button. Below the button was a white description that said "Self Destruct." he pressed the red button, and everything in the room fell to the floor, as if he had suddenly turned on the gravity instead of rupturing the prisoner's brain. The lighting ceased and a red puddle of blood appeared at the wookie's mouth.

Destro turned to the two people beside him. "As you can see, there are still a few bugs that need to be worked out of my equations, but soon we will have a Sith army bigger then that of The Republic or the Keisharthi combined."


	10. Chapter 10

**Before I begin this chapter, I just wanna say thank you to all the people who have read this far. I've decided to dedicate this chapter to Mathew Stover, since about half the things that Darth Lycaon say were first written by him.**

The landscape was nearly barren, except for a few plants growing out of the cliff face that resembled coral that one might find at the bottom of the ocean. The rocks themselves were rusted red, rich with iron and vulnerable to corrosion. There were oddly shaped rock formations, like pillars or arches, shaped by the erosion of the wind and the sand. A Boy came flying over a mound of red stone. He landed hard on his side in the dirt on the cliff edge. if he hand went any farther, he would have gone straight off the cliff and into the chasm. The boy stood up and brushed dirt off his suite. he was wearing black shorts with white trim and steel toed shoes. he was wearing a sleeveless shirt with a collar that concealed the bottom half of his face. he had white and black fingerless gloves that went from his hand to just below elbow. there were training weights tied to his long gloves that weighed him down.

The Boy panted at he turned around to see the Monster that had been chasing him pull itself over mound of stone. It's torso was a shapeless blob, and it had no head. All the Monster seamed to be was a bundle of tentacle. Black, whip-like Tentacles with bone spikes extruding from beneath the flesh. The monster was a Vaapad, the Legendary creature of countless tentacles, and it wanted him for dinner. It raised it's thorny tendril and, blindingly fast, brought it down on the boy. But his reflexes were quick, and he sidestepped the blow as the tentacle buried itself in the dirt.

His hair was spiky, and black as the space between the stars. The boy's eyes were red. They did not glow red, but rather, the color of the iris was red.

Three more tentacle whips were raised into the air, then disappeared out of human sight as they came at him. But the Boy was still too fast. He ducked under the first whip, and felt one of the bone spikes near shave the crown of his head. Another whip came down, too low to duck under, so he leapt up and flipped sideways over it. The third came at him straight like a spear, intent on impaling him. Once he landed on his feet, the Boy bent his back backwards to avoid the straightened Tentacle. It went over him, then recoiled back. The boy, who looked about 16 years of age, decided to run.

The stone archways made a good bridge to cross the chasm over, but the Vaapad was in hot pursuit. The Vaapad's tentacles became one big blur as it slashed away at the red stone. It ripped the archway to rubble, cutting into the stone directly behind the Boy's heals. He could feel the wind of the swipes, and he felt the debris pelting against his legs and back. He knew that if he didn't go faster, he would be ripped to shreds in an instant.

A change in direction was in order, so he decided to leap off the stone arch altogether. He landed against a rusted stone wall and ran along it sideways, as if defying gravity, but he was only able to hold his footing for a few brief seconds before leaping off that as well.

The Boy crashed into a sandy slope and slid down until he found himself in a large deposition of sand. The Monster came crashing down Focused on the kill. a massive dust cloud formed, and when it subsided, the Vaapad rose out of it and shook off the dust. The beast saw it's prey lying face down in the sand. The monster sent another straightened Tentacle at him, but the Boy leapt up at the last second and twisted around, slicing off the pointed tip of the tentacle with his glowing red blade.

The beast let out a heart stopping screech in pain as it recoiled it's injured tentacle. The boy turned his red lightsaber over in his hand, holding it backwards. He couldn't escape from this beast without making himself vulnerable, so he would have to kill it. The monster raised all of it's offensive tentacles, as if realizing that the hunt was drawing to a close. In a sudden moment of clarity, the Boy realized that the Vaapad had exactly 28 tentacles. it was using six tentacles to stand, and it had 22 tentacles raised in attack. Then those 22 tentacles all blurred out of sight.

He let his combat training take over, and his own blade became a blur. Purple blood flew through the air as the beast clashed against his weapon. He ducked and parried blows, but the lightsaber was the ultimate defense. The Vaapad tried to stretch it's tentacles around and attack him from behind, but he would not give the monster an inch. He began advancing on the beast, cutting and slashing into it's onslaught. Finally the Vaapad withdrew. It's tentacles were severed stumps, gushing with purple blood. The Boy himself was covered in its purple blood.

"AHA!" He shouted with confidence. "No one's eating me today!"

Then, quick as lightning, a tendril shot up out from beneath the red sand and wrapped itself around the boy's throat in an instant.. The rest of the Tentacle rose out of the sand and raised him into the air. The remaining tentacles began to wrap around him as well. He slashed at them with his weapon, but a particularly thorny tendril wrapped around his arm and twisted it, causing the lightsaber to fall to the rusty sands below. The Tentacles tied him up like a cocoon, until the only visible part of him was his head. The boy was able to see the Monster's gaping maw up close; it was like a fleshy tunnel, lined with huge, jagged, rotting teeth. An it emitted a foul odor, similar to the smell of corpses. He also spotted about a dozen freakish yellow eyes surrounding the mouth. They were arranged haphazardly around the mouth in every direction.

The monster was about to Shove him down it's throat when a second red bar of energy blasted out through the fleshing encasing. The Boy brought his second lightsaber up and spun it around, obliterating his bindings as he spun in the air. He fell to the sand and crouched down. His first lightsaber flew into his hand and he held them both at his sides.

"Come get some!" The Boy shouted as he launched himself at the Vaapad.

Atop a tall pillar pillar stood a humanoid being, overlooking the battle between the Boy and the Beast. This being had a smooth sliver mask with reflective black lenses over his eyes. There was a laser pointer over his left eye, and a plasma cannon on his shoulder. Long tendrils hung from his head like dreadlocks. His chest and forearms were encased in armor, but his muscular biceps were wrapped in a fishnet like material, and his grey-green skin was visible there. The Man entered a code into his wrist mounted computer, activating his cloaking device. His body became completely transparent as the field he emitted bent the light around him. soon every last bit of him was invisible, the last think to be seen were his eye lenses, which flicked out of existence in a blue flash.

The boy was lost in his battle. He lost himself to the violence, lost himself to the killing. He tore into the monster's flesh, and soon he was blinded by the gore. but he kept going, relying on the Force to guide his blade. He sands ran maroon with the spilt blood. He didn't even know when he had killed it. All that he knew was that, once he had come out of his trance, The scattered shards of the mangled Vaapad lay all around him. He sat on a lump of blubber-like flesh and deactivated his twin lightsabers. His weapons on his belt and his hands between his knees, He sat and contemplated his actions. Suddenly, he felt a hand grab his shoulder. in an instant, His blade made contact with another. He looked and saw that he had made contact with a disembodied Red saber. There was only the glowing blade, not even the handle could be seen.

then the very air itself seamed to contort, like a could of heat. The man with the dreadlock tentacles appeared before him, And the boy noticed that his blade would have cut through the Man's throat if it had not been stopped. He was getting better.

"I see that you have succeeded in killing the Vaapad, Mordred." Said the Man. "but you have not done it gracefully."

The Boy named Mordred dropped to his knees. " I am sorry, Master Lycaon."

"Come now. There is no time to grovel." The Yautja man told him. "The Morlocks will be opening the wormhole soon. Follow me to the waterfall so that we may prepare for our return home."

The Yautja man strode up the bloody sandy slope, and Mordred followed.

They walked through the desert towards an oasis, that could barely be seen off in the distance. "listen now, my apprentice." Darth Lycaon said from under his mask. Mordred looked up, a purple smear still on his face. The Dark is Generous."

"Generous?" Mordred asked, the powerful sun beating down on his head. "How so?"

"It's first gift is comforting illusion. The ease of gentle dreams in night's embrace." Lycaon told him as they passed under the shadow of a massive boulder, relieving Mordred of the burning heat. "But the greatest of it's comforts is the illusion that the dark is temporary, that every nigh brings a new day. Because it is Day that is temporary. Day is the illusion."

They made it to the Oasis, and just in time. The insectiod vultures had been following them after they ate the Vaapad, and they expected them to drop at any moment. Once they made it under the cover of the coral like trees, the vultures gave up their pursuit.

"The second gift is concealment. Our true faces lie in the dark beneath our skins, our true hearts remain shadowed deeper still. but the greatest concealment lies not in protecting our secret truths, But in hiding from the truths of others."

They found the water, and Mordred washed the blood off his body in the waterfall while Lycaon made a fire and boiled water for the soup. When Mordred returned to the camp, Lycaon told him more about the darkness.

"The Dark is Eternal." He said. "It is everywhere. It is in the wood that burns in the fire, and the kettle over that fire. It is under chairs and under tables. It is under the sheets that you sleep in at night. Walk under a sun, and the dark is with you, attached to the soles of your feet. The brightest light casts the darkest shadows."

"It is the Dark that seeds Cruelty into justice, that drips contempt into compassion, that poisons love with grains of doubt. The dark is always waiting behind the Star that gives the light. The Dark's patience is infinite. eventually, even Star's burn out."

Mordred dug into his soup as he listened to Darth Lycaon's lecture.

"But hear this, my boy, and hear it well. One lone candle, a single spark, a single glowing ember is enough to hold the darkness back. True, the Darkness is superior to the lone candle, and the candle can easily be snuffed out, but a lone candle cane light others, and before you know it, We, the Sith, are blinded by the glare.

We can never win until every light is blown out. For every candle that is still lit, is a failure. And even when Darkness consumes all, there is still the chance that the light will return all on it's own."

Mordred stared at him. Lycaon had taken off his mask, and he chewed at a raw steak that he had saved from a hunt earlier. He mandibles dug into the meat, and Mordred asked. "what? How? How could the Light, The Jedi, How could they return if we eradicate them?"

"There is Light and Darkness within every soul, but you know what brings the light to it's fullest potential? Love. Love is more then a candle. Love can ignite the stars."


	11. Chapter 11

On Coruscant, an eccentric leader contemplates his rise to glory, and the completion of his prophecy. He does this as he manipulates the very mind of all those under him to gain support for the quest to find the Sacred Rings. he tells them that it is an expedition for exploration, to reclaim the worlds that were lost to the shifting times, and they eat it up. they cheer him on, because in the end, that's all they meant to do. It is their reason for being alive.

On the world of Mandalore, A mercenary is getting his mangled hand amputated and having it replaced with Cybernetic hand, identical to his original. He checks the nervous system with a needle, then gets up to check out the new suite of armor that arrived. It's Prink, the only known metal capable of withstanding a direct blow from a lightsaber, so it could come in handy when he got even wit hthe guy who blew off his hand. too bad it was blue, The color that he hated the most.

Somewhere, on a space station drifting through space, a knight and her apprentice boarded a transport vessel.

In a laboratory within the mammoth Star Destroyer named _The Dreadnaught,_ orbiting the Imperial world of Byss, a madman leers over his latest failed experiment, a fusion of a rancor and an aklaay, as it is carried to the incinerary by a robot on treads.

within the wilderness of an uncharted planet, a boy and his master discuss the fundamentals of the trued darkness while they wait for their allies to come and bring them home.

A Sith lord arrives at his home on Korriban, after laying low from his assassination of three Senators.

Aboard a ship hurling through hyperspace, a woman discards her leather pants and jacket for a black corset and skirt. She then puts on high healed boots that go up to her thighs, and dons leather gloves that go up past her elbow. She looks at her outfit in the mirror and wonders if she should dye her black hair to a brighter color, like blond or purple.

On Yavin, an aging man contemplates the future through his supernatural senses, and sees that the Galaxy may change forever.


End file.
